Re-Open Negotiations On Songor Salt - Association

The Ada Songor Basin Lagoon Owners Association (ASBLOC) last week appealed to the government to re-open negotiations with it on ways to develop the salt industry in the area for the benefit of all.

The association said it is ready to meet with any designated government officials to sort out all outstanding issues for a negotiated solution to promote the national interest and to meet the legitimate concerns of the land owning clans.

Mr Clement Otu Amate, Chairman of the Association, told a meeting of 17 companies, which are prospective investors in the salt industry, that ASBLOC's efforts to get the government to dialogue on their concerns had so far failed to yield the necessary dividend.

"If officialdom does not still feel inclined to dialogue with us on the Songor issue, we shall not press for it any more," he said.

According to Mr Amate the inability of the Government to repeal PNDC Law 287 from the statute books was a major obstacle to the management of the lagoon. He said the three clans, which are the rightful owners, had through the ASBLOC established an Ada Songor Development Trust, a company limited by guarantee to take over, manage and control the lagoon and its adjoining lands on sound business relationships with prospective investors once the law was repealed.

Mr Amate appealed to citizens of the area, especially those involved in the campaign against the Association, to read its constitution to clear any doubts that they might have about ASBLOC.He assured the investors of the readiness of the Association to join hands with them to develop the salt industry at Songor. "Our aim is to establish with you a relationship that is fair and equitable to both sides so that our people, especially the chiefs of the villages in the areas of your operations will feel that they too have a stake in the success of your companies." Dr Seth Otuteye, Chairman of the Legal Committee of ASBLOC, said the government had no legal title to the land since it was holding it in trust for the people. He said the Association believed that it was better to encourage indigenous Ghanaian investors into the Songor salt industry than to seek foreign investors, who would in the end repatriate all the benefits to their home countries.